1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a system for creating crossword puzzles and to a related game and method of generating crossword puzzles or word arrays, including a rearrangeable playing surface with means for sorting after play the three classes of pieces constituting that surface.
2. Description of the Prior Art
The patent literature in the game art, generally, is quite extensive. Applicant is aware of the U.S. Patent to Brunot, et.al., (U.S. Pat. No. 2,752,158, issued June 26, 1956) for a "Game Apparatus". Notice is also taken of the word-game known as "SCRABBLE".
3. General Discussion of the Invention
The crossword puzzle is an enjoyable solitaire diversion for many persons, with an estimated 30 million people devoted to solving such puzzles in the United States alone.
A crossword puzzle may be described as:
"A puzzle which displays a square of rectangular, symmetric matrix of multiple individual letter squares each of which is intended to contain a single letter which helps to spell both a horizontal word and a vertical word. In the United States the puzzle ranges in size from 169 to 529 letter squares as a general rule, with a large proportion of them being 225 squares (15.times.15). Fifteen to 20% of the squares are blocked out to divide the puzzle into separate sections (groups of words) which are interconnected by transsectional words. An accompanying numbered definition table provides clues which direct the solver to corresponding identification numbers for the squares in which the initial letters of the interwoven words appear."
While the completion of a blank crossword puzzle may be a difficult exercise, the generation of the same crossword array by the puzzle's author is considerably more difficult (heretofore regarded by the experts in the field as being an art impossible to teach), due to the fact that in each area of the puzzle, each letter of a vertically placed word must in almost every instance be a letter in a suitable horizontal word. The present invention supplies a system for generating or creating crossword puzzles as well as a related means for generating a crossword array either in a solitaire, or in a competitive game atmosphere, with a high probability that a completed crossword array will result. Magnetic means for sorting the playing pieces of the crossword design at the conclusion of the game into their letter classes as well as mating indented and corresponding raised areas on the playing pieces and game board, are included.
While the invention in its preferred game embodiment as disclosed herein has been designed for the American game market and the United States population generally, the principles outlined may be utilized mutatis mutandis as an educational tool for foreign language instruction or for facilitating the mastery of disciplines having specialized terminology of their own.
It is noted that the American crossword puzzle is usually formed on a square or rectangular grid area that is subdivided into multiple word placement areas, by black or blank areas and the perimeter of the grid, or by two black or blank areas. The several word placement areas are connected by common words, generally of greater length than the words in each area, serving to link the separate areas. As a general rule within each placement area every letter of every word must also be a letter in a different word running at right angles to the first word. Letters bounded on more than two sides by the perimeter or a black area are excepted from this general rule. Finally, a "word" in a crossword puzzle may be any intelligent combination of letters such as might be found in a dictionary or other source of communicative material.
The crossword puzzle system for creating crossword puzzles of the present invention include the steps of (a) obtaining a crossword puzzle grid defining sections; (b) inserting "generator" words into the grid; (c) making "possibility" check from a provided "Table of Average Preference Values"; (d) assigning "C" (consonant) and "V" (vowel) locations based on highest frequency rate with the longest words done first and with "possibility" checks done as needed; (e) determining the relative priorities of the crossword puzzle grid sections; and (f) filling in the blanks with the use of provided "Paralog" lists starting with the most difficult.
In the game embodiment of the present invention, the game is played and the puzzle array made on a surface configured similar to an unfilled crossword puzzle. However, the word placement areas are composed of linear patterns (either running horizontally or running vertically) of spots for consonant letter playing piece placement (marked "C") and of spots for vowel letter playing piece placement (marked "V"), opposed at right angles and comprising segments of a full row or full column of the array appearing on the playing surface.
In play, a crossword "word" must be formed of a specific number of lettered playing pieces on a horizontal or on a vertical linear segment and must conform to the consonant-vowel distribution pattern dictated by the "C" and "V.revreaction. marked spots, respectively, on the playing surface. Multiple arrays of the game can be graded as to difficulty. For each array, referent linear patterns and the playing piece potentials are designed to optimize the likelihood that each linear segment and each area of the array will be completed with a set of words, each of which shares letters with other words.
The referent linear patterns were chosen by calculating the frequency of appearance of words in the language having each possible consonant-vowel distribution pattern, "CCV" or "CVCV" for example, for each possible horizontal and each possible vertical linear segment in an array, adding those pattern-appearance frequencies in an area, then optimizing and grading difficulty of an array by choosing a set of interrelated pattern with the appropriate sum of frequencies, i.e., with an appropriately graded probability for each array for the use of words in the language for which the puzzle is made that can fill each linear segment and each area of the array.
The playing piece selection potentials for play on all arrays are chosen by first calculating the frequency of appearance of vowels and of consonants in the language in words of the lengths appearing on the arrays, and allowing those proportions for each class (vowel or consonant) of playing piece. The vowels are then provided with a distribution of playing pieces in accordance with their respective appearance frequencies in words of array-length; the consonants are provided with such a skewed frequency distribution as to maximize the statistical probability of random access to consonant-lettered playing pieces which, combined with an average selection of vowel-lettered playing pieces in the numbers and ratios allowed to be played in a game turn, make words that are more widely known and used in the general population than are all the words which make up the universe from which the overall letter distribution calculations were taken.
At the conclusion of a game, prior to commencement of another round of play, the playing pieces must be separated into their respective classifications (vowels, consonants, and blanks), in preparation for the following game. The sorting mechanism of the present invention is based on simple magnetic principles.
Mistakes in play are corrected, and strategic blocking of an opponent's play provided, by the use of an inverted (base up) letter playing piece. Only two classes of letter playing pieces (consonant pieces and vowel pieces) are used, one class of which is formed of a magnetic material, and the playing surface is of a material to which the magnetic playing piece is attracted. That class of playing piece which is magnetic is designated as the class to be used inverted (no letter showing on the base of the playing piece) to serve the purpose of a blank playing piece during play. Those playing pieces which have no magnetic properties are dropped from the playing surface by inverting the game board at the conclusion of a game, and collected, while those playing pieces having magnetic properties are retained on the inverted playing surface and when the playing surface is restored to its original position, from there collected; the sorting process is thus complete.
To insure the proper placement of the playing pieces on the board, the playing pieces include on their underside indented area corresponding to raised portions on the game board. Thus a vowel playing piece would have on its underside a "V" shaped indentation allowing it to be placed only on a mating "V" raised portion on a vowel square.